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Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that you will be able to secure an internship position for any given semester, or that you will secure exactly the type of work/learning experience you desire. Success depends on your qualifications, motivation, and effort.

That said, both the Offices of Career Planning and Off-Campus Programs are available to assist you in a variety of ways so that you are best prepared for internship candidacy. Most importantly, allow plenty of time to prepare and plan for the selection and application process of your internship experience.

DETERMINING THE RIGHT TYPE OF INTERNSHIP

A professional internship can be an invaluable way to explore a prospective career path, gain practical work experience and test your classroom learning, assess your strengths and develop critical skills, find a mentor, and begin building your network of professional contacts.

Typically, the type of internship you choose should be related to your major, your career goals, or to occupations that interest you. As you first consider pursuing an internship opportunity, we recommend meeting with your academic advisor to discuss how an internship may best fit into your educational plan, what types of internships may be available in your field, and what kind of skills-development will be most valuable, based on your career interests.

APPLYING FOR AN INTERNSHIP

To complete an application process, you will most likely need to submit a resume and a cover letter. You may be called for an interview, and following meeting a prospective employer, will need to follow-up with a thank-you letter.

These written materials represent you, so it is imperative that they are well-written and follow standard, business formats. The Offices of Career Planning and Off-Campus Programs can assist you in creating or revising these materials; please contact either office to make an appointment.

Additionally, the Office of Career Planning offers a number of events throughout the year geared toward developing business etiquette skills—oftentimes inviting alumni professionals to campus from whom you can learn, and with whom you can practice and network.

search available internship postings

To review current internship postings through our online database, click here. This is a password-protected site; students should use their my.whittier log-in information to access the database.